Building Linux Audio Applications 101: A User's Guide, Part 1

Recently I've received some mail asking for a brief explanation on how to build Linux audio applications from source code packages. Ask and ye shall receive, hence the following simple guide for the perplexed, the puzzled, and the downright mystified. Compiling software is hardly rocket science, and if an old guitar-picker like myself can do it certainly you can too.

This tutorial is written for users and developers who already know about Linux and who know how to use a Linux system. I'll demonstrate how to turn source code into software, using freely available tools and utilities common to almost every version of Linux. We will focus on the development of audio processing software. Linux has a powerful infrastructure for audio applications developers, and I hope that the material presented here will help new and seasoned developers alike as they venture into the world of programming Linux for music and sound...